Watching Skiing Not Skiing

By: In: Media, Non-Fiction, Skiing, Writing

Lorie poses in front of hte Copper Peak sign

Lorie and I at Copper Peak


Today, I am watching skiing instead of skiing.

That is okay, last weekend I got three days in, SA, SU, and MO. I was thinking of getting some runs in on TU but I decided that would make things a little too hectic and that was the last thing I wanted. Instead, we got in the truck and started to drive around.

So, Lorie did not get a pose in front of Blackjack’s hill so we stopped there and she struck a pose and so too did I. Then we moved on and went to Copper Peak which is impressive from a distance but is kinda underwhelming there. I suppose if we visit in the summer and take the tour up to the top of the scaffold my tune will change. Copper Peak is neat and the obvious neglect is a shame, that venue by its very nature is world-class but it needs some upkeep and maintenance.

From there we moved on and stopped at Big Powdherhorn Mountain to see the new lodge. Impressive, we can finally walk into a ski lodge without feeling like we have time-traveled to the 1970s. I have photos of that on my camera (and not my phone) and will dedicate an entire post to it later.

From there we hit US HWY 2 back to our cabin and did a thing or two and then went to our friends at the Chain O’ Lakes Campground in Eagle River.
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The Auto-Biography of The Wisconsin Skier

By: In: Media, Non-Fiction, Writing

Not going to go tell all here, but want to give you all a glimpse into some of the events that have shaped and molded myself.

I was born in 1967 in Green Bay Wisconsin and my brother arrived on the scene in 1969, that is all I have for siblings right at that American average. We moved around a little bit but not a whole lot, my first memories were in Manitowoc WI and summer working vacations (working for Dad & vacation for the rest of us) out to New York. I think it was at this time I also have very foggy memories of skiing for the first time at Hidden Valley I don’t remember too much about those first ski trips, just I did them and some runs down the bunny hill.

We then moved out of Manitowoc to a spot in the country just outside of Manitowoc, it isn’t so country anymore but my parents still reside there.

We grew up there and I did not ski again until I was in high-school. Of course, I recall more about the skiing and I was starting to get competent on the greens and and when that season ended we did not pick it up again the following season, no particular reason.

I spent my youth exploring the nooks and crannies of the surrounding farmlands and woodlots, imagining myself off in Alaska or some real wilderness, scouting out furbearing critters.

All during this time, we would go “UpNort” mostly camping & fishing trips in the summer time, but eventually my folks bought a lot on a lake up there and our camping trips turned into camping at the lot or staying at nearby cabins. Eventually our cabin went up and the camping came to an end. Still, the trips up there were mostly summer trips with the latest stays being around the end of November which is when Wisconsin’s deer hunting season occurs.


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Winter is Being a Tease

By: In: Media, Non-Fiction, Writing

 
 
 
Steve Smith writing in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Off the Couch sports blog notes:

Most of us spend all summer complaining about precipitation and unseasonably low temperatures, and then winter begins to tease.

It’s as though the wrapping on a gift sitting under the Christmas tree has torn just a bit to reveal that the present juuuussstttt miiiight just be….

Like children following reports on Santa, an anxious segment of the population starts scrutinizing long-range forecasts for rain of the frozen variety. Some of us see blue on the national weather maps and start begging Mother Nature to settle in, below-freezing with a comforting blanket of snow.

Wow, so true. I hear all the reports of snow out West and tune in the TV and watch Lyndsey Vonn skiing to World Cup glory and then another time I see Bode doing the same. I am spending lots of online time watching POV videos of skiers going down Birds of Prey (that doesn’t look that bad) or The Hahnenkamm (WAH! That doesn’t look that bad either, LOL!) and the wait provides me good motivation to get into the gym and work on my physical conditioning.

In any event, with the holiday season full swing skiing isn’t happening just yet. Still, the fact of snow on the ground provides comfort and assurance that ski season is just around the corner.


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The Badgers Win! YEAH and MEH!

By: In: Media, Non-Fiction, Writing

Last Saturday evening the University of Wisconsin (football) Badgers won a close game against the Michigan State (football) Spartans. The game was close the whole way through with the Badgers and Spartans trading leads and momentum. Again it was a last minute ending, ending on what appeared to be a Spartan punt return for a game-winning TD (or close enough). However, a Spartan defender ran into the punter and the Badgers got the ball back and assumed the victory formation to seal the win, the first Big 10 championship (new format), and a berth to the Rose Bowl. Yeah for the Badgers.

The two games these teams played this year show them to be evenly matched and the difference being chance events.

Now for the MEH part.
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Yet Another Android Application Review (YAAAR)

By: In: Media, Non-Fiction, Skiing, Writing

 
 
 
At one time I had the HWK Waxing Guide installed on my Android device. The description reads:

Become a wax specialist with HWK ski wax! HWK ski wax has been trying to find all the answers for you and is now proud to present the first ski wax App.

I found this application to be so-so. I think it is too in depth for the average skier and too superficial for the professional. I found it to be more about pushing HWK waxes than anything else (I know that shocks you).

However, the application does come with an instructional guide on waxing skis, not that it is a terribly complicated affair, but it is good for people new to ski waxing. Once I got over that, I removed the application, as the only factor I consider when choosing a wax is the anticipated air temperature we will be skiing in. I do not need a wax tree to help me decide what (ahem, Swix) was to use, however, I do need every megaabyte of phone storage I can get.


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The Grateful Dead — Why?

By: In: Media, Non-Fiction, Writing

Steal Your Face righ75t off your head!

Nothing Left to do but Smile Smile Smile!

One recurring item of discussion you see me engaging in is the music of the Grateful Dead. I think anyone who has been around a bit knows the Grateful Dead are not on the top of too many people’s playlists. I can only think of few people outside the circle of my family and close friends who seek out Deadly music.

There are a number of reasons I have come to like the Grateful Dead and for some of you reading this I have to tell you to seal your assumptions in the silver mine!
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The Sounds of Summer

By: In: Non-Fiction, Writing

No pictures this time nor have I tried my hand at audio recording yet. So, I will have words only. I have written about the sounds of the season before, but want to do so again.

Summer has its own phases, even though it isn’t officially summer, I think it safe to say most of us consider the summer as starting from the second half of May, and in general I agree with that. I would further state that this phase of summer is from the first half of May through the Fourth of July. The sounds of this part of summer are dominated by birds. Redwing blackbirds, robins, the call of the cranes, swallows, and so on.

There are very few insects sounds that stand out at this time of the year. Open your window as you go to sleep and what do you hear? Birds with their roosting calls and here it is pretty much all robin. After the birds are done with their roosting calls, and it becomes quiet it is very silent, maybe frogs if you have the requisite habitat nearby.

Then as we reach and pass the Fourth of July, what sounds start to emerge?
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Partial Payment

By: In: Media, Non-Fiction, Writing

I’m not one to fight gravity and work my skis uphill. I may soon join the legions of cross country skiers, but at first I will seek out flat terrain as my conditioning is not that great and the Wisconsin Snow Bunny must first master the flats before seeking out downhill thrills. However, I am talking about the action in my driveway.
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Music, Places, and Times

By: In: Media, Non-Fiction, Writing

One thing I find frequently happening to myself is when certain songs come on the radio or I play them I get whisked back not only to a time but often times to a specific place. It will not take a lot of imagination or recollection to bring the times and places back.

One such song is a song called Ring My Bell by Anita Ward. What song has the same effect on you?
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Hot Tub Time Machine in Dubai?

By: In: Media, Non-Fiction, Writing

The most interesting search hit of the day (so far) was someone coming in searching for Hot Tub Time Machine Dubai.

If you are in the Middle East and hoping to watch Hot Tub Time Machine on the big screen; forget it there is no chance of that happening. Still, there is cause for hope, maybe your buddy returning from vacation recorded it and snuck it into the country, sneaky guy that friend of yours.

Any version of that movie showing in the Middle East will be about 15 minutes long. I remember seeing Hot Dog on a TV broadcast and the censors left quite a bit of that movie on the floor.

BTW, did you vote in the poll Did You Like Hot Tub Time Machine? and did you read my full review of Hot Tub Time Machine?


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